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cetane

[see-teyn]
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noun
  1. a colorless, liquid hydrocarbon of the alkane series, C16H34, used as a solvent and in cetane number determinations.
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Origin of cetane

First recorded in 1930–35; cet- + -ane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for cetane

cetane

noun
  1. a colourless insoluble liquid alkane hydrocarbon used in the determination of the cetane number of diesel fuel. Formula: C 16 H 34Also called: hexadecane
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Word Origin

C19: from Latin cētus whale + -ane, so called because related compounds are found in sperm whale oil
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cetane in Science

cetane

[sē′tān′]
  1. A colorless liquid hydrocarbon derived from petroleum. It is used as a solvent and a component of diesel fuels. Chemical formula: C16H34.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.